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Soto 40 Fleet Makes Its European Racing Debut
Photo by Nico Martinez, www.nicomartinez.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

Medcup Cascais revealed perfect racing conditions for the debut of the Soto 40 class in Europe delivering 14-20 knots of NW'ly winds, bright sunshine and a moderate swell rolling in from the Atlantic. Just as the weather and sea state were to order for the exciting one new design fleet, so too they were equally ideal for the second day of racing for the TP52's

Spain's Iberdrola Sailing Team fulfilled expectations that the European team who have had their boat longest and trained hardest might prevail, but even though they lead at each mark and won back-to-back races, they were never out of reach and the two Portuguese teams which have only had their boats for a matter of days both had second places and were certainly in contention.

In the 52 Series it was again consistency rather than brilliance which won the day, this time the pair of second places for Audi Azzurra Sailing Team was enough to scale the leaderboard to top the seven boat fleet, one point ahead of Germany's Container.

Over four races there have now been four different winners, as first Bribon and then Quantum Racing both proved the virtue of sharp starting and being able to gain early control of the right, inshore side of the opening beat.

In the Soto 40 fleet second places were shared equally between the home Portuguese crews as Bigamist finished behind Iberdrola in the first race and Francesco Lobato's team on XXII Portuguese Sailing Team secured second in the second contest despite finishing with a rip in the lower sections of their gennaker.

Cascais Trophy
52 Series
Day 2
1. Audi Azzurra Sailing Team, ITA, 10 points
2. Container, GER, 11
3. Quantum Racing, USA, 12
4. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, RUS, 14
5. Bribon, ESP, 18
6. Ran, SWE, 21
7. Audi Sailing Team Powered by All4One, EUR, 26
8. Gladiator, GBR, 36

40 Series
Day 1
1. Iberdrola Team, ESP, 2
2. XXII Portuguese Sailing Team, POR, 5
3. Bigamist, POR, 6
4. Patagonia, ARG, 7
5. Ngoni, GBR, 10

medcup.org

Lorenzo Bressani and Uka Uka Racing Reinforce Their Lead
Photo by Rick Tomlinson, www.rick-tomlinson.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

Melges 24 Corpus Christi, Texas, USA: More windy and overcast conditions prevailed on day four of the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship in Corpus Christi, Texas, with winds peaking at 18 knots during the two race day. For the second day in succession, regatta leader Lorenzo Bressani on ITA 817 Uka Uka Racing turned in a perfect scoreline, winning both races in some style and stepping inexorably closer to retaining the world title that he won last year in Tallinn, Estonia.

With five wins from the eight races sailed so far, Bressani is looking increasingly unstoppable and now leads the regatta by 22 points. Grinding his way back from a poor opening day, Brian Porter on USA 749 Full Throttle turned in a 6,4, scoreline today, which was good enough to move him into second place overall. Alec Cutler on BER 655 hedgehog also had a good day today, finishing fourth in the first race and second in the next race after pushing Bressani hard all the way round the course. Cutler slides up into third tonight, tied on points with Porter and a single point ahead of Kristen Lane on USA 812 Brick House 812 in fourth. Tied on points with Lane is Nathan Wilmot on IRL 607 Embarr who remains in fifth place after an 8,3 performance today. -- Justin Chisholm

Top Five Overall

1. Uka Uka Racing - Lorenzo Bressani, ITA, 9 points
2. Full Throttle - Brian Porter, USA, 33
3. hedgehog - Alec Cutler, BER, 33
4. Brick House 812 - Kristen Lane, USA, 34
5. Embarr - Nathan Wilmot, IRL, 34

Top Five Corinthian

1. Esprit - Eiichiro Hamazaki, JPN, 7
2. Unsponsored - Christof Wieland, GER, 18
3. Rosebud - Scott Holmgren, USA, 24
4. High Voltage - August Hernandez, USA, 27
5. Funtech Racing - Charlie Hess, USA, 34

Racing runs through until Saturday 21 May.

www.melgesworlds.com

Zhik SB3 World Championships
Photo by Thierry Martinez, www.thmartinez.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

Zhik SB3 World Championships Blue skies and brilliant sunshine greeted the 103 boat fleet of Laser SB3s on Day 4 of the Zhik SB3 World Championships 2011. Unfortunately the wind was late arriving and the "AP" was raised for over an hour. Eventually, the wind put in an appearance and as the afternoon went on the pressure increased and as forcast, the direction tracked right.

All eyes were on Robert Greenhalgh (GBR) and the crew this morning after their strong performance yesterday. At the first windward mark "Red" rounded towards the middle of the gold fleet, but the crew managed to pick up the wind shift and improve their position to finish the race in third place. The race was won by Irish entry Mel Collins (IRL) and his crew on Sibelus. Sarah Allan was back in action and finished the race second.

The rock star crew on One Design Sailing, Nathan Outteridge, Ian Brown and Tom Slingsby (AUS), have had a difficult Championship and today was no exception. They were called over the line in race two, but didn't hear the Race Committees radio announcement of their bow number. After leading the fleet all the way around the course, they finished first. The news of their "OCS" was a bitter blow for the Australian team. Having finished tenth in race one and fifth in race three, it's fair to say One Design Sailing's performance was back, but their luck is yet to be found.

Top ten:

1. Red, Robert Greenhalgh, GBR, 35 points
2. Race Team Gill, Geoff Carveth, GBR, 40
3. Gill Racing Team, Craig Burton, GBR, 55
4. Club Marine, Glenn Bourke, AUS, 59
5. Parkway Pirates, Rob Gullan, GBR, 75
6. Xcellent, John Pollard, GBR, 77
7. Henri Lloyd/Forelle Estates, Joe Llewellyn, GBR, 79
8. Stenghele, Roberto Caresani, ITA, 89
9. Musto Race Ahead, Jim Asenaithi, RSA, 92
10. Sibelus, Mel Collins, IRL, 94

www.ZhikSB3Worlds2011.com

Highlights video:
www.zhiksb3worlds2011.com

Arctic Summer Sailing Adventures with Sail Blue Planet
Click on image to enlarge.

Sail Blue Planet What if you really love your sailing, but want some adventure as well?
We've got exactly the thing for you to bring the explorer in you out!

How about sailing across the Arctic Ocean via one of the most isolated islands on earth? Circumnavigating Milne Island in the breathtaking Scoresby Sund, a famous fjord on the East coast of Greenland? Island hopping in an archipelago that is not yet taken over by tourists, the Cape Verdes Islands? Climbing a volcano in the Arctic Ocean, accessible only by boat? Kayaking in spectacular Greenland amongst the ice fjords? Crossing an ocean, not just one way, but both ways?

Become a sailing adventurer and discover icebergs, stunning scenery and amazing wildlife: orca's, whales, birds, dolphins and maybe even a polar bear!

Join us on 'Polar Bear' for (last minute deals on selected trips!):
- Shetland Islands - Norway (June)
- Bodo (Norway) - Jan Mayen - Iceland (July)
- Iceland - Jan Mayen - East Greenland (July)
- Cruising the fjords of Eastern Greenland (August)
- Greenland - Iceland - Scotland - Cork - Madeira - Canaries (Sept/Oct)
- ARC 2011 (Nov/Dec)

Email or call Marlies for more details: - +(44) 7795 566 277 - www.sailblueplanet.com

Where will your next adventure take you?

An Exciting Venue For The Growing West Coast Fleet
The Farr 40 Viva La Vida (previously Goombay Smash, pictured here in the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds 2011, Sydney, Australia. Photo by Rolex/Kurt Arrigo Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship Long Beach, California, USA: Known for serving up the heaviest winds in Southern California, Long Beach will welcome the 2011 Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship on May 28-30 as the third event of the summer season for California Farr 40 sailors. Long Beach Yacht Club, in conjunction with the Farr 40 Class Association, will host the event, which is in its 13th edition. The three-day regatta will be staged from Gladstone's Restaurant on the waterfront in the heart of downtown Long Beach, with the fleet berthed at the adjacent Rainbow Harbor, where the city's skyline and the Queen Mary dominate the views.

The Rolex Farr 40 North Americans have been raced every year since 1998, with the exception of 2000. In 2010, the regatta was held in Annapolis, Md., and this year will be the regatta's debut in California, which means it has attracted a large number of teams racing in the Farr 40 West Coast Championship Circuit.

Sailing with the West Coast fleet are new owners Jeff Shew and Bill Durant (Long Beach, Calif.), co-owners of Viva La Vida, which was previously raced (as Goombay Smash) by previous owner William Douglass in the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds 2011 in Sydney, Australia. For Durant and Shew this will be their first-ever Farr 40 championship.

www.farr40.org
www.f40west.org

Race Village In Full Swing
Up and running! At 1000 GMT this morning, the race village for the Normandy Channel Race opened its doors. From now through until Sunday, when the competitors set off on the race, over thirty exhibitors will be on the site to welcome the general public.

The Class40s competing in this second edition of the Normandy Channel Race are all now safely alongside in the Bassin Saint Pierre in Caen, northern France. At the heart of the race village is a Race Info stand enabling the more curious visitors to find out all about the Normandy Channel Race and the participants. Finally, those who are lucky enough to have their names drawn out of a lot, after correctly answering 10 questions in the competition, will get a ride aboard the Boedic on this Sunday, which will be a prime spot to see the race start.

The start of the Normandy Channel Race 2011 will take place on Sunday 22 May at 1400 hours local time. The public are invited to the Bassin Saint Pierre from 0930 hours to witness the grand Class 40 parade.

www.normandy-race.com

Rebel, Velvet Elvis and Espada Victorious at Vice Admiral's Cup
Cowes, UK: The 2011 Vice Admiral's Cup, hosted by the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Cowes, from 13-15 May, offered three great days of racing on a mix of windward leeward and round the cans courses for Class 0 (45 footers), Quarter Tonners and J105s. Friday's opening day featured Class 0 and the Quarter Tonners, who raced off the same start line making for a fun atmosphere on the course. At the weekend the J105s joined the fray, using the event as a warm up for their National Championship later this month.

Friday brought three races in light and shifty winds with lots of fair tide beating and plenty of nip and tuck racing. It was so tight in the Quarter Ton fleet that in the first race of the day 8 boats finished within 45 seconds of each other on corrected time.

On Saturday the wind was up and the fleet made the most of the more exciting conditions to complete three more races.

With the wind cranking from the north-east day three brought plenty of thrills and spills for the final two races of the series. The fleets enjoyed a spectacular final day to put the icing on what had already been a seriously good cake. In Class 0 Rebel and Werewolf spent the day vying for supremacy. In race seven Werewolf got the upper hand with Rebel finishing second and Atomic third. In race eight the tables were turned and it was Rebel who claimed victory with Rebel second and Kolga third. Overall Rebel claimed the premiere podium position with Werewolf second and Atomic third, despite their forced retirement from the final race.

In the J109 fleet Velvet Elvis confirmed her supremacy by taking two bullets while Stalker claimed second in both races. Third place in race four went to David Richards' Jumping Jellyfish and in the final race it was Alex Ohlsson's Jai Ho who filled third place. In the overall standings Velvet Elvis won by three points from Stalker with J Dream in third.

The final day for the Quarter Tonners was a stunner as these classic little boats reveled in the windy conditions. Willi McNeil and Mike Pascall's Illegal Immigrant, sporting a new livery for this season, found their form in the stronger breeze and was the most consistent performer of the day with a second and third. In race seven Alice II won followed by Illegal Immigrant, Graydon Dawson's Diamond, which is sporting a new keel , and Matt Clark and Tony Thackray's Lancelot.

In the Quarter Ton Class, Espada won the regatta with an eight-point margin from Alice II with Odd Job third. Speaking after racing Nick O'Leary, who was sailing on Alice II said "It's the best IRC racing I've experienced. I can't believe how close it all is and I'm really looking forward to the Quarter Ton Cup."

Full Results: www.rcyc.co.uk/Results1

EUROSAF Increases Youth Championship Age Limit to Under 22 Years Old
Many of the top young sailors are lost to the sport, because they just fail to win selection to represent their country at the ISAF Youth Worlds. An age limit of under 19 on 31st December can prove restrictive for these 'almost sailors', who are left with no real opportunity to develop their talents in youth competition, because their age prevents them from entering other international youth championships.

Now EUROSAF, in conjunction with the Federazione Italiana and the Vela Society Canottieri Marsala and Associazione Match Racing, have taken a step towards changing this by introducing an under 22 Open Youth Match Racing Championship, the first occurrence of which is taking place in Marsala, Sicily, between 21st and 25th September this year.

The event is open to all countries, not just EUROSAF Members and the age limit for competitors is under 22 on 31st December 2011. Twelve Teams will be invited to participate and applications from MNAs, sailing clubs and individual teams wishing to receive an invitation, are now invited. The Notice of Race is published at www.eurosaf.org/1689 The hosts at the Society Canottieri Marsala and Associazione Match Racing have been very generous in their arrangements and the only cost for teams entering the event will be their travel costs to Sicily. There is no entry fee and all food and accommodation for each team and one team manager, will be provided.

The overall winners will become the EUROSAF Match Racing, International Youth Champions and the first European team will become the EUROSAF Match Racing, European Youth Champions. Teams can be mixed, all boys, or all girls.

More detailed information is available by contacting

Solent IRC Series Race 1 - Royal Southampton Clarkson Cup
A lovely morning for the first race of this fun series. Three races back to back starting near Coronation. Classes 1 and 2 were started together as were classes 3 and 4. Everyone was overly keen for the first start of the day making for a general recall, but then got away at the second attempt. In class 4 we did find the line a touch short especially with a 23ft Sonata on the same line as a Dufour 385. Exciting, but a longer line would have been appreciated by the smaller boats so as to be able to keep out of the class 3 dirty air.

In classes 1 & 2 there were frequent place changes going up the beats. Once round the windward mark the long winter layoff showed, with at least one boat trying to launch its spinnaker through the pulpit, causing all sorts of problems.

The courses were simple upwind/downwind which suited us very well with our masthead rig and rusty crew who were soon back into short tacking up the beach. With the sun shining and clouds passing overhead, the wind was shifty both in direction (WNW / N and back again) and speed varying from 8 to 18 knots in short order which made for a great day's tactical racing. The racing was close in all classes with just seconds between finishers in many cases. -- Teresa Whelan

Results:
Class 1 Banshee - Corby 33 - Lance Adams
Class 2 High Tension - J109 - Andrew Given
Class 3 Mongoose - First 34.7 - Tom Snowball
Class 4 Eskymo - Smokey 25 - David Cowell

www.solentirc.org.uk

Dubarry Sligo - Dash of a Different Kind
Dubarry Sligo Maturity's a directional thing - not that everything's going south you understand, but with wisdom and experience, you move up the professional ladder and back in the boat. Tearing around the foredeck is great for kids but it takes the brains at the back to make the right calls. Dubarry's new Sligo reflects your style and seniority in five stylish colourways, with its seasoned, quick-drying leather and classy waxed canvas upper, comfortable footbed to calmly absorb any shocks, and award-winning sole to give your decisions a firm footing.

Dubarry Sligo - the only deck shoe you'll ever need.

www.dubarry.com

Short Tacks
Closing date for entry for the Dragon European Championship 2011....
Monday, the 23rd of May 2011 will be closing date for entries for the Dragon European Championship 2011. Entries will only be valid with entry fees received before May 25th, 2011 Information at www.nrv.de

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Mini Golfe, 100 single handed milles at La Grande Motte, this week-end

21th and 22th of may, the Yacht Club of La Grande Motte organizes "La Mini Golfe". 100 nautic milles, solo, along the coast of the "Golfe du Lion".

She returns, the Mini Gulf! After a cancellation in March due to weather, the Yacht Club hosts the minis this weekend.

See www.ycgm.fr and www.classemini.com

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The international, performance clothing company, Helly Hansen, will continue its long association with offshore sailing as the official clothing sponsor of the double-handed, Class40 Global Ocean Race 2011-12 (GOR).

Established in 1877, Helly Hansen maintains a strong connection with offshore sailing as supporters of Sweden's multiple-circumnavigator, Magnus Olsson; the Ericsson Racing Team during the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race and - most recently - French solo sailor, Thomas Coville, during his solo round the world record attempt on the 32 metre maxi-trimaran, Sodebo. The company already has a connection with Class40 following their support of Norwegian yachtsman, Rune Aasberg, winner of the double-handed Class40 division of the 2010 Shetland Round Britain & Ireland Race with co-skipper, Arild Shei, on Solo and continued their relationship with Aasberg during his single-handed Route du Rhum campaign last year.

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The British skipper Samantha Davies and her partner, the French sailor Romain Attanasio are looking forward to the birth of their first child, a boy that is due to be born in September. At the age of 36, Sam, who was such a star in the last Vendee Globe, finishing in fourth place, is therefore getting ready to face a very different kind of adventure that will be taking her away from the pontoons for a few months. However, the British sailor, now living in Brittany, fully intends to continue towards her main sporting goals and says she is aiming for the podium in the next Vendee Globe.

With her team she is continuing to look for the backing required to be there at the start of the next Vendee Globe in November 2012. Sam adds with a touch of humour, "I'm fully trained to deal with sleepless nights. It's not going to be that different from aboard the boat (although maybe more tiring!) and I won't have to worry about getting my boots on when I get up in the middle of the night."

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Mount Gay Rum will be back to support Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week as the official 'Regatta Rum'.

Mount Gay Eclipse and the premium Extra Old variants will be sampled at a variety of events and functions throughout the Week and the sailor's favourite tipple will also be available in bars, yachts clubs and venues throughout the town. With its official Regatta Rum status, Mount Gay will also be supporting a number of special events and functions including the largest and oldest fleet racing in the regatta, the XOD Class who are celebrating their centenary and Toe in the Water, the event's official charity.

One social function not to be missed will be the infamous Mount Gay Red Cap party on Wednesday 10th August. There will be a chance to gain one of the most cherished mementoes of any regatta - the coveted Mount Gay Red Cap! Tickets will sell out fast and will be available at the Mount Gay Rum Cocktail Bar on Town Quay, Cowes.

www.aamcowesweek.co.uk

Featured Brokerage
Featured Brokerage Boat 2011 BTBoats Kiwi FC 40. Call for Price. Located In Auckland, New Zealand.

Following our Keep it Simple concept throughout the structural design, the geometries, the details and ultimately the construction methodology we have arrived with the KIWI40FC - a reliable, stiff, safe, well-finished, fast and aesthetically pleasing Class40.

To achieve this result, the correct vision and approach have been crucial from the outset with Farr Yacht Design and Cookson Boats fully involved in every element since we launched the design brief.

Cookson Boats-NZL have been directly involved in simplifying the build solutions and Farr Yacht Design have enthusiastically provided the appropriate design solutions.

Brokerage through Farr Yacht Sales: www.yachtworld.com/farr/

Complete listing details and seller contact information at
uk.yachtworld.com

The Last Word
There are many ways of seeing the world. You can hang upside down from a meteor, volunteer to be the fourth stage of a three-stage rocket, or simply get in a balloon and keep going. But if it's sheer, unadulterated discomfort you're looking for, just stay on land. -- Michael Palin

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